As a previous publication owner (print magazines), I learned from my art directors and graphic designers the importance of layout, design, and usabilitiy. When it comes to blogs their importance cannot be overstated. Your readers will have their first impression of your blog in only a few seconds. Make the first impression count.

Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox has a great piece on blog usability and design mistakes. I like the way he approached the topic,

To reach new readers and respect your existing readers’ time constraints, test your weblog against the following usability problems.

Weblog Usability: Top Ten Design Mistakes in Blogs

After reading the article, I found there are a few things I need to do myself. If you have anything to add to the list please let us know.
[tags] blogging tips, graphic design, weblog design, blog traffic, blog marketing, Jakob Nielsen, eoecho [/tags]